the dramatic brother
by snobunniex3
Summary: Lindsey isn't dead but Eliot is still pissed that Angel tried to have him killed. takes place after series finale of angel and sometime btwn seasons 2 and 4 of leverage. if you haven't seen season finale of angel, i already spoiled it(sorry) no spoilers for leverage. rated for swearing (2 f bombs and a few other choice words) and some mild violence(nothing not on either show)


AN: so this has been running around in my head for a while. Eliot and Lindsey are twins and this is what happens when Eliot finds out that Lindsey was "killed". I really didn't like that Lindsey was killed so in my story, he didn't die.

If you haven't watched Leverage all you need to know is Eliot is an amazing fighter and has killed a lot of people but is now a good guy. If you haven't watched Angel then all you need to know is that Angel ordered Lorne to kill Lindsey because he didn't trust him even though they were allies at the time. Angel and Lindsey hated each other.

Disclaimer: I don't own leverage or angel or the song which is rattlesnake smile by Christian Kane and was chosen because when you listen to it, it sounds dangerous. The ringtone is evil twin by Povertyneck Hillbillies

* * *

Lindsey has always been the dramatic brother. Even when they were growing up, he was the one more likely to yell or, as he got older, argue. Eliot didn't argue so much as fight and even then he only did that if he knew he could win and knew that it was worth it.

In high school, when a couple of the football players wanted to cheat off of Lindsey, and wouldn't take no for an answer, Lindsey let them all copy his answers. They all got zeros on that exam. Eliot would have just punched them and been done with it. Actually, he probably wouldn't have cared if they cheated off of him.

When those same football players went after Lindsey for payback, Eliot beat them up. He was the only one that walked away from that fight without something broken. He was also the only one who got detention. He made Lindsey take those.

So yeah, Lindsey was the dramatic brother. The brother who let his emotions run wild. The brother who ran his mouth and could talk his way out of almost anything. Eliot tried to avoid the dramatics but sometimes, he just couldn't help himself. When he found out that his brother had almost been murdered in cold blood, he decided he was going to do this Lindsey's way.

Which is how he found himself sitting in a demon karaoke bar in L.A.. He wore his jacket/hoodie that he used to lurk around at McCrory's and kept his head down. He didn't want the host to see him until he was on stage. He took a sip of his drink, too sweet for him but Lindsey had told him to try it.

* * *

_1 week earlier in Boston_

_Eliot sat on the couch and tried to ignore everyone around him. Easier said than done. He wasn't sure what made it more difficult, the fact he had spent the better part of his life making sure he was completely aware of his surroundings or the people he was currently surrounded by._

"_Parker. Don't." he snapped, not needing to open his eyes to see that she was getting ready to poke the shoulder he had just popped back into place. _

_He took a deep breath and focused on tuning out Hardison's typing. And exhaled_

_Inhale. There goes Nate and Sophie's argument. Exhale._

_Inhale. 'Parker is _not_ trying to poke me.' Exhale. _

That wasn't me  
That got me in all this trouble I'm in  
That wasn't me  
But I know who it must have been  
He's the black sheep of the family  
And he's back in town again  
That wasn't me  
That was my evil twin

_Eliot sighed and grabbed his phone. Only one person in his contacts had a ringtone._

"_Yeah." He started to walk away from the others, not wanting them to know who was on the other line for a number of reasons, not the least of which was his sanity._

"_Gee, missed you too." Eliot rolled his eyes and stared out the window._

"_This line safe?" he asked, he'd get to the pleasantries after he knew that they could talk freely._

"_Yeah, no one's listenin', not even you're hacker buddy, though he is trying." Lindsey chuckled and Eliot finally noticed that there was something wrong with his brother's voice._

"_What's wrong Linny?" maybe he wouldn't get to the pleasantries after all._

"_What makes you think somethin's wrong? A guy can't call his brother from time to time?" his voice was strained but Eliot figured he was the only who would be able to tell._

"_Last I heard from you, you were leaving Nepal and heading back to L.. the city." Eliot caught himself. He figured he was only paranoid if the team wasn't listening in. _

"_Yea, I went back. Joined up with the sanctimonious bastard and company. Fought the good fight. Finally a good guy." His voice rang with bitterness and he sounded as if he was mocking himself._

"_Okay, so you gonna tell me where things went wrong?" Lindsey was the patient one, the one who dealt with small talk and traded monologues when words would do._

"_Bastard tried to kill me. Wouldn't be so bad if he had the gall to do it himself but no, he had a fuckin flunky do it. I liked Lorne, still do. He's a decent guy, better than most humans. But Angel says jump and all his little puppets ask how high. Doesn't matter what they're jumpin on."_

"_Lorne? The host guy? Karaoke dude? Angel told him to kill you?" Eliot questioned, not completely sure he was thinking of the right demon._

"_Yea, can you believe it? Everything I did to help, you think he'd do better than stab me in the back. Hell after everything I did before, you'd think he'd do it himself. Bastard. Anyway, that's why I called. Figured you'd be getting word that I was dead pretty soon and didn't want you to do something stupid. Knowing you, you'd figure out it was Lorne and kill him."_

"_Wait, why would I be getting word you're dead?"_

"_I let him think he did kill me. They all think I'm dead, came pretty close there for a while. But I'll be fine, always am." Eliot didn't like the way his brother's words twisted at the end._

"_I'll be out of town for two weeks, take some time to make sure you can travel and lose any tails you might have then come to Boston." He had some plans to make._

"_What job are you workin now?" _

"_Plausible deniability an' all that. I call ya later, I gotta go. Be careful." Eliot hung up but made no move towards the couch. Instead he thought about vampires, about how it was about time he went toe to toe with a monster with a higher body count than he would ever get, and about whether or not he should bother taking his guitar._

* * *

Present

"Alright, well how bout that folks. That was something, let's give our old friend Durthock here a hand huh? Alright, now we've got a new fella here next, a mister Eliot Spencer, let's welcome him up here while I have a chat with Durthock."

Eliot made his way to the stage, not looking up and making sure the host didn't see him. He didn't have to worry too much though, the green demon was focused the demon who sang before him. Once he got on stage, he opened up his guitar case, keeping his back to the room despite his hitter instincts. He finally lowered his hood, shook his hair out of his face, turned around, and sat on the stool by the mic. The host still hadn't noticed him. Good.

Eliot had put more thought into his song than he was ever going to admit. He considered "I drive your truck" for a while but, in the end, he was too angry. He couldn't sing that song if he tried right now.

He started strumming, the cords making an eerie sound even to him.

It's been a long time  
Since I wore this rattlesnake smile  
And a lotta my friends haven't seen it in quite a while  
I feel my eyes rollin' deep inside my head  
And there's a feeling of misconception in the air

All eyes were on him but he stared into the red eyes of the demon who had shot his brother in cold blood.

Yeah, I'm startin' to see  
Yeah, I do believe  
I used to have a soft southern glowing face  
I used to leave my heartaches with the chase  
When you get stung with the heart of a little child  
Well, that's how you get that rattlesnake smile

Lorne stared in shock as Lindsey sang. No, not Lindsey. Lorne knew this couldn't possibly be the man he had shot a week ago. Then he remembered his readings from when Lindsey sang. The ones of his past. Of his brother.

You better keep your distance  
In this tangled shape I'm in  
Now no one had better touch me right now  
In this cold-blooded thick skin  
Oh I said you better run real fast  
When you hear that rattlin' sound  
Well, you better run real fast, man,  
Or this one's gonna knock you down  
I sit alone and try to she'd this skin that I'm live in  
Trying to clear my vision once again

Eliot grinned at the demon, seeing the fear in his eyes. Fear that grew at his grin. He was aware of the other demons and a couple humans in the bar but they didn't concern him.

Hah, well, I ain't no good to no one no how, not right now  
'Cause I forgot to run myself and I got run down  
Do I look like something you can put in a fuckin' cage!

He screamed into the microphone, releasing some of his rage.

Come over here and gimme a kiss  
Yeah, I'm startin' to see  
Yeah, I do believe  
Better keep your distance  
From this tangled shape I'm in  
Now no one had better touch me right now  
In this cold-blooded thick skin  
Better, well, well  
Now I said you better run real fast  
When you hear that rattlin' sound  
Oh I said you better run real fast  
Or this one's gonna knock you down  
And I sit alone in the desert rain  
With my tail in the air  
Ohhhhhhh

He finished the song and broke eye contact with the host. He put his guitar back in his case and made his movements slow and deliberate.

Lorne stood frozen, the man had put everything he had into that song. He didn't hide anything and what Lorne saw was enough to scare anyone. After a moment longer, he made his way to the stage, giving the long haired man a wide berth. He chose to ignore the other man's smirk, seeing his aura, knowing it meant to scare him.

"Well now, it looks like I've got my work cut out for me. While I work with our very talented and angry friend, why don't we welcome another new comer, Miss Fray come on up here." Eliot, back at the bar, wondered if anyone else had seen the demon's hand shake.

Eliot sat and waited for the host to make his way to him. Lindsey was the patient one but Eliot could be patient when he wanted to be.

"I should tell you, this building is a safe haven, and it is charmed against violence." Eliot smiled.

"I know. My brother was very fond of your last karaoke bar. Tried to get me to come sing with him every time I was in town and I lived here for a year at one point." Eliot paused to take a sip of his drink. "I suppose he isn't very fond of the last one anymore is he?" the question might have sounded flippant if not for the dangerous tone.

Lorne sighed, whatever the man next to him had in mind, he probably deserved. Lindsey had been fighting on the right side, he didn't deserve what he got.

"No, I don't suppose he would be. He didn't mention you but I did see you, in his memories. He cared for you a great deal. When you sang, you put everything you had into that song, would you like to know what I saw?"

Eliot took another sip, watching the small redhead singing in what he was pretty sure was Japanese.

"That's the main reason I'm here." He finally looked to the host. "Linny wanted me to sing for ya, I sang."

Eliot debated his next words.

"I ain't gonna kill you Lorne, I ain't even gonna hurt you. My brother liked you. He didn't have many real friends here in L.A., the other lawyers were competition and he didn't do much besides work. But he liked you. As far as I'm concerned, you were just the weapon, Angel was the murderer. Him, I'm gonna hurt. So, what did you read from me?"

Lorne sat for a moment, feeling the regret for killing Lindsey, then answered the man before him.

"You are on your path. You know where you stand and have accepted yourself. That's pretty rare, especially in here. You don't want answers. Right now you don't want anything but revenge. But I can see beyond that. You've done horrible things in your past but you aren't looking for redemption. You are helping people now because that's what you set out to do. You got lost before but you found your path on your own. If you go after Angel, you will lose."

"Did you see me losing, or do you think that he'll win because he's a vampire with more fighting experience?"

"You'll lose, pumpkin, going after Angel isn't smart. Look at everyone who has gone after him before."

Eliot finished his drink and set it down slowly.

"I'm looking at the people who worked with him. See, I've done my research. He got my brother killed. He got his british nerd killed. He got you, a pacifist demon who created a safe haven karaoke bar, to kill an ally in cold blood. It took me less than a week to find this information. What am I gonna find when I keep digging?"

Lorne sighed and shook his head. "I can't tell you what to do. Only guide you."

Eliot stood and picked up his guitar case. "It was nice meeting you Lorne, I wish I'd come here before you killed my brother." He stared the demon in the face and saw surprise on his face. Then Eliot punched the man. Hard.

Lorne looked up at the avenging brother standing above him. "How'd you get around the charm? And I thought you said you weren't going to hurt me."

Eliot shrugged, "Guess I lied. And when I want to hit something, nothin's gonna stop me. Warn him I'm coming and I'll decide that I don't care how much my brother liked you. You're death will be much worse than his was." Then he walked out of the bar, ignoring the other customers who made a path for him.

* * *

2 hours later

Eliot parked the old truck in front of Wolfram and Hart. This had been the hardest part, finding his brothers truck. He knew he didn't need it but he was rather enjoying the dramatic flair. Once upon a time, he had used similar tactics to scare the enemies of Damien Moreau. This was a much better use of his talents.

He made his way into the building, careful to avoid setting off any alarms. He had once helped Lindsey map out the entire building for exits and hiding spots. He had also helped Lindsey make it to the boss's office.

Eliot was surprised that he got to Angel's office without finding anyone but was certain he hadn't made any mistakes. His concerns were answered when he saw a group of people far below getting out of two cars. An old black convertible and a beat up and modified truck. These were the people he was waiting for. He stood to the side of the window and watched as they got out of their cars and started walking towards the building. Only one stopped to stare at the old truck.

* * *

Cordelia turned back, noticing that Angel hadn't even crossed the street yet.

"What's up Angel, you've got a weird expression goin on."

"This truck, where did it come from?"

"Ooh, maybe we have a client. A paying client. Though, judging from the state of their truck, they probably won't pay much. Maybe if we use a different payment plan."

"No, how did it get here. It should not be here."

"Why not, what's wrong with it, I mean besides the paint job and the dents. How do you get dents on the front and back of a truck? Whoever owns this car must be a horrible driver."

"The owner is dead. I caused the dents. When Lindsey hit me with it three times. Then when I stole it and drove it into the house when those demons gave you a third eye. So how did Lindsey's truck end up parked outside our offices"

He stared up at the building, trying to see inside but only seeing the glare of the city against the windows. The others all stared as well, not as relaxed as they had been a minute ago.

* * *

Angel made his way to his office, knowing that whoever brought Lindsey's truck here would be waiting for him. He told the others to go home.

They were waiting in an office a few doors down and trying(read failing) to not be obvious about it.

Angel opened the door and reached for the light switch before deciding against it, believing he could see better in the dark than whoever was in the room. He walked slowly into the office.

Eliot stood on the other side of the door, waiting for the vampire to pass the it completely before slamming it shut and hitting the lights. He blinked for a moment but his eyes adjusted quickly enough to see the vampire's shocked face.

This was fight that he knew he could win and was definitely worth it.

He used the vampire's surprise to his advantage and attacked. Angel had more than a hundred years of experience but there is a reason people helicopter out of cities when they learn he is there. Eliot dodged a punch meant for his face and reciprocated with a succession of jabs aimed at his not-dead opponent's torso. Angel eventually broke his stupor and blocked his wild attacker's hits and threw him against the door with enough force to knock the wind out of a normal man.

Eliot has never been normal though. He got up and growled at his enemy, not rushing in but waiting. Angel attacked first this time and they traded blows, fists, elbows, knees, and feet flew. In the end, Eliot had Angel pressed against a wall, his arm against the other man's throat his other holding stake to the man's chest.

"How? How are you alive? Lorne said he killed you. He saw you die."

Eliot chuckled at the man, a dangerous sound. "I'm not Lindsey. But you're gonna wish I was." His eyes flashed like light hitting a blade.

Angel stared and at last noticed the small difference between the man in front of him and the lawyer had had killed. The blues eyes were harder, had seen more. They held more regret. And more anger. The hair was longer, much longer than Lindsey's had been a week ago. There was a scar above his lip.

"I'm his brother." Eliot answered the question Angel hadn't asked. "I'm the evil twin."

Angel met the other man's eyes and listened to his heart beat. He believed that. What sort of man was he if he was the evil twin to the man who worked for Wolfram and Hart?

"You are going to listen to me, and listen very closely. The only reason I haven't run you through with this stake is because Lindsey told me not to. Said you were the good guy and if you died bad things would happen. I ever see you, ever hear you ain't a good guy anymore, or if I just decide Lindsey won't know that I didn't listen to him, I'll do worse than kill you. I'll make you beg for me end you."

Angel stared into the eyes of the man he killed and didn't doubt for a second that the man before him could and would deliver on his threat.

"When did he tell you that?" he asked as the long haired man walked towards the door.

"After you cut his hand off." Eliot replied after a pause.

"That reminds me." He said as he turned. He threw the stake in his hand at the man still against the wall. It impaled his stomach and burrowed deep. He walked over to the vampire and stole his keys and left the office locking the door behind him. He grabbed the doorknob after locking the door and yanked it hard, breaking it off with a smirk.

He didn't say a word when as he passed the group standing in the hall outside another office. He did wave though.

Maybe he _was _the dramatic brother.

* * *

Please review! Seriously, I love reviews. They make my day!

Also, the redhead isn't mine either. It is clary fray/Fairchild from the mortal instruments series. I needed another singer and she popped into my head.


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